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Turkey Tells U.S. Not to Leave Power Vacuum in Syria Withdrawal: Report

February 23, 2019WorldComments Off on Turkey Tells U.S. Not to Leave Power Vacuum in Syria Withdrawal: Report110 Views

ISTANBUL – Turkish defense minister told Pentagon officials there must not be a vacuum of power during the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday.
A senior U.S. administration official said on Friday that Washington would leave about 400 U.S. troops split between two Syrian regions, a reversal by President Donald Trump that could pave the way for U.S. allies to keep troops in Syria.
“We reminded our partners that there should be no vacuum of power in any way during the withdrawal,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Anadolu, describing his talks in the United States with acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
Trump’s abrupt decision of taking out 2,000 troops from Syria has sparked an outcry from allies and U.S. lawmakers.
But he was persuaded on Thursday that about 200 U.S. troops would join what is expected to be a total commitment of some 800 to 1,500 troops from European allies to set up and observe a “safe zone” in northeastern Syria, the U.S. administration official said.
Akar also said he repeated call for Kurdish YPG militia fighters, which Ankara regards as terrorists, to be removed from the “safe zone”, which Turkey wants to control.
(Sahar News Monitoring Desk)